Herb & Spice Companion

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HERB & SPICE COMPANION

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MAHLAB

Prunus mahaleb

Flavors: nutty, fruity, and floral,

with almonds, cherry, and rose,

and a bitter aftertaste

Mahlab is a delicious but somewhat obscure spice that comes from the seed of a

cherry tree. A member of the peach and almond family, mahlab or St. Lucie cherries

are harvested for their pits, which are cracked open to reveal small light-brown ker-

nels. These kernels are then sold whole

and ground to form the spice.

Mahlab flavors baked sweets from

the Middle East and southern European

countries like Greece and Turkey. Its

cherry-almond fragrance is reminiscent

of marzipan, and its flavor is similarly

sweet with a trace of bitterness. Whole

mahlab kernels may be harder to find

than the powdered spice, which loses fla-

vor quickly; buy the powder only in small

amounts and use it as soon as possible.

In the Garden

Mahlab cherry trees are native to dry woodland climates; they grow wide canopies

suitable for a spacious yard. Cherries appear green at first, then turn red and finally

black when ripe and ready for harvest.

Size: 6 to 40 feet tall; trunk, 1 to 2 feet in diameter

Container: 20 gallons for a full-size tree

Light: Full sun

Soil: Moist, poor, well drained; adaptable to various well-draining soils

HEALTH BENEFITS

Mahlab does not have any specific

benefits attributed to it, and, in fact,

it has raised a few alarms because

it contains the mild toxin coumarin

that can affect the liver and kidneys.

In small quantities, it poses no real

danger to humans, but its toxic effects

show up more readily in rodents.

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